Evil in Every Man
“Evillllllll” yells Mermaid Man on an episode of a popular cartoon known as SpongeBob Squarepants. Whether one is familiar with this cartoon or not, everyone knows for a fact that evil is everywhere. Evil is found in almost anyone, and it does not just exist in modern times. The concept of Evil has been around for centuries and even dating back to Biblical times. In fact, a Christian would believe that evil for humans first took place when the serpent crept into the garden and tempted Eve to eat of the fruit from the tree (Genesis 3). Christians believe that ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, evil and sin has been inescapable. The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that evil is being morally reprehensible, wicked,
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Tools to create the theme, range from the author’s diction and the issues in the story to the characters and settings. The most obvious tool authors use in stories is the title. The title is most often used as a foreshadow and allows the reader to get an idea of what the story may be about. At the same time, the reader may become curious about a deeper description of the literature. At first glance, the reader of “Young Goodman Brown” may assume that the story is going to be about a good man, but it also makes the reader wonder if the man changes (Hawthorne 486-495). Poe also begins the thought process of the theme in his famous short story, “The Tell-tale Heart” (Poe 670-673). Keeping with the subject of evil in man, the reader of this story may assume that the heart will try to tell the protagonist something, but evil will end up taking over the character.
Many authors also use diction and figurative language to display the theme. A good example would be the diction in Robert Stevenson’s novel “The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. The theme of evil hiding within every man is compared to the violent and dark writing style that hides in the proper and Victorian writing of Stevenson’s era. Stevenson makes his diction within the literature formal so that when the diction becomes gruesome it symbolizes the uncivilized and evil side that lurks within every
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Often evil is a result of certain characteristics in a person. One reoccurring characteristic that leads to the revealing of evil in a man is Pride. In Burn’s article titled, “Augustine On The Origin And Progress Of Evil”, he affirms Augustine’s belief that “pride is the root form of evil” (24). Stevenson seconds Burn’s opinion through his novel “The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Dr. Jekyll wanted people to see him as the wise man who grew up around the wealthy and was destined for a bright future. When Jekyll began to take pride in his status is when evil started to take over (Stevenson 42). Jekyll created a potion that turned him into Mr. Hyde and allowed him to take pleasure in worldly and unrighteous things. Mr. Hyde slowly began to take over Dr. Jekyll until there was no way to get Dr. Jekyll back. Pride is also seen in “Tell-tale Heart” and “Young Goodman Brown” as well wherein they both believe that they are sane and that their views are completely correct (Wing-chi 25). These prideful assumptions are what led them to their immoral acts. Not only does the characteristic of pride lead to evil in man, but so does curiosity. If it were not for Young Goodman’s curiosity of the spiritual realm and talking to the devil himself, then he would still be with his “sweet, and pretty” wife,
Literary devices are tools used by the author to help the reader understand a given literary work. Writers use different literary devices depending on their style and what they wish their reader to get out of their work. One important literary device that is essential for a successful literary work is theme. Theme is the general insight into life that the author shares with the reader. There are a number of different methods from which an author can choose to present his/her theme. One common strategy is to communicate the theme through the use of mood; the overall feeling or emotion conjured within the reader. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado," and in Saki's short story, "The Interlopers," the mood evoked within the reader is used to communicate the short story's overall theme.
...ve duality of man;… if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” Thus, Stevenson creates in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, two coexistent, and eternally opposed components that make up a “normal” individual. However, here, good and evil are not related but are two independent entities, individuals even, different in mental and physical attributes and constantly at war with each other. Evil now does not require the existence of good to justify itself but it exists simply as itself, and is depicted as being the more powerful, the more enjoyable of the two, and in the end ultimately it is the one that leads to Dr. Jekyll's downfall and death. Stevenson creates the perfect metaphor for the never-ending battle between good and evil by using Jekyll and Hyde. However, this novella is perhaps one of the few that truly show the power of Evil.
Karma comes in two ways, good karma or bad karma. However Miss Strangeworth got the worst kind ever, revenge karma. In the short story, The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson, it is clear that judging others can result to bad karma, because she judges her town, and consequences return the favor. She is shallow and has too much power, however it starts with judgement. The Possibility of Evil takes us through a journey of a selfish woman and her consequences.
Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.”(Jekyll and Hyde chap 10, last paragraph). This quote shows how Jekyll was willing to give up his life, which at that time was profoundly frowned upon, to let Hyde live; even though he knew Hyde wouldn’t last long at all. This human corruption and good vs evil theme also shows up in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. “Within the infant rind of this small flower/ Poison hath residence and medicine power/ In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will;/ And where the worser is predominant, /Full soon the canker death eats up that plant”(II iii 23-30). Friar Lawrence makes the connection in this quote with plants; that there are good and evil parts, and that if evil has more power than the good: the plant will die. As Shakespeare said that the evil will overpower the good, Stevenson does the same with the personalities of Jekyll and Hyde. Jekyll started out stronger than Hyde, but the longer he stayed Hyde, the more he enjoyed what he was doing as Hyde; this shows how humans will indulge in sins even if it meant eternal damnation. Another novel from around the same time as Jekyll and Hyde that shows the duality of man in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. At a glance
Shirley Jackson’s short story “ The Possibility of Evil” is about a little old lady named Miss Strangeworth. She thinks she’s in charge of the town and to make sure it’s free from all evil because her grandfather built the first house on Pleasant Street. At first Miss Strangeworth is a nice little old lady, worrying about people and wondering what others are up to. Then in the middle of the story she becomes a little rude to a few of the townspeople. In the end Miss Strangeworth thought she was getting rid of the evil in the town, but in reality she was causing evil in the town by showing her true colors and being extremely mean and cruel to others. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover because people aren’t always what they seem to be.
Innocence is a trap. It is strangled with the ideals of perfection and suffocates the cravings of curiosity. Goodness is expectant and evil is poisonous. However, good and evil resides in even the most innocent of people. Both are nefarious and pestilent to easily corrupt targeted souls in sinister actions. Both equate to uncontrollable factors. Goodness tends to covet the sensations of evil since it depreciates its own purity. In the oscillating novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, goodness was trapped by evil just as Jekyll was trapped as Hyde. Jekyll’s pure spirituality desired the holy richness of evil and all its wrongdoings. His laboratory experiments discovered his desire to feel the sensation of evil without truly being evil. His laboratory experiments discovered a way for him to escape. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fought the battle between good and evil proving the apparent strengths and weaknesses that overall transformed two souls into a single corpse.
Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
For a writer, stylistic devices are key to impacting a reader through one’s writing and conveying a theme. For example, Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates use of these stylistic techniques in his short stories “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The former story is about a party held by a wealthy prince hiding from a fatal disease, known as the Red Death. However, a personified Red Death kills all of the partygoers. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is about a man who visits his mentally ill childhood companion, Roderick Usher. At the climax of the story, Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline, murders him after he buries her alive. Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories employ the stylistic decisions of symbolism, dream-like imagery, and tone to affect the reader by furthering understanding of the theme and setting and evoking emotion in readers.
Naturally, it is human nature to yearn for some sort of evil. Sinning is common on a daily basis. Kids lean towards destruction. Countless people have the urge to gamble at casinos. Human beings are lustful creatures and have sexual notions constantly in their minds. Evil is not something that can be avoided. For those who appear perfect, their "evil" is well hidden. Thus, ."..humanity is...synonymous with the struggle of good and evil" (Abbey, et al. 328). Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde centers on the dual nature of the human personality through the good and evil facets of Dr. Jekyll's character.
From reading the last chapter, we can all see that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are easily viewed as a symbol about the good and evil that exists in all men, and about the struggle these two sides in the human personality. Hyde has a short temper and is made to look evil. “I observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near me at first with a visible misgiving of the flesh”. Jekyll is arguing that Hyde is the perfect physical embodiment of the evil inside him, implying that Hyde looks evil. Stevenson has also explored which aspect of human personality is superior, good or evil. Since at the start of the book Hyde seems to be taking over, you might argue that evil is stronger than good. However, Hyde does end up dead at the end of the story, suggesting a failure of the weakness of evil. Since Hyde represents the evil in Jekyll he is therefore symbolically represented being much smaller than Jekyll as “Jekyll’s clothes are far too large for him”. But as the plot progresses Mr. Hyde began to grow and becomes more powerful than Jekyll, and the reason for Hyde to become more powerful is due to the fact that Jekyll enjoys what Hyde does, which allow Hyde to gradually destroy the good in
Due to their concealed yet present inner evil, humans are naturally inclined to sin but at the same time resist temptation because of influence from society, thus illustrating a duality in humanity. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde focuses on how humans are actually two different people composed into one. The concept of dual human nature includes all of Hyde’s crimes and ultimately the death of Jekyll. Jekyll proposes that “man is not truly one, but truly two,” and describes the human soul as a constant clash of the “angel” and the “fiend,” each struggling to suppress the other (Stevenson 61, 65). Man will try to cover up his inner evil because once it rises to the surface everyone will know the real...
This essay will focus on how Robert Louis Stevenson presents the nature of evil through his novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Using ideas such as duality, the technique used to highlight the two different sides of a character or scene, allegories, an extended metaphor which has an underlying moral significance, and hypocrisy; in this book the Victorians being against all things evil but regularly taking part in frown able deeds that would not be approved of in a ‘respectable’ society. This links in with the idea of secrecy among people and also that evil is present in everyone. The novel also has strong ties and is heavily influenced by religion. Stevenson, being brought up following strong Calvinist beliefs, portrays his thoughts and opinion throughout the story in his characters; good and evil.
The story takes place during the Victorian age, a time when there were only two categories of people: good people and bad people. There was no way that one man could be considered acceptable without suppressing his evil side almost entirely. The reason that Jekyll restrained his evil side for so long was because of this dichotomous Victorian society. Most people, including Jekyll’s friends, Lanyon and Utterson, are content to stay molded in this ideal. However, Dr. Jekyll soon became tired of this hypocritical mindset and states that he “it was rather the exacting nature of my aspirations…. that made me who I was and…. severed in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound man’s dual nature” (123). He had determined that he would find a way to indulge his more human nature while still yet living in acceptance among his colleagues. Dr. Jekyll soon did discover a method, but it inevitably came with a curse. Stevenson uses this to display that people generally tend to go with the societal flow and conform to other people’s ideas so that they will fit in.
One of the major ideas presented in Jekyll and Hyde is the need for both good and evil to live in coexistence within an individual’s conscience. Jekyll’s experiments prove that a balance between the two sides of nature is crucial to be content in the world. He realizes that the only reason he is able to be one of the two sides of his nature is because he has the capacity to be either as long as both are present within him. He makes this clear in the quote, “I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” (125). Jekyll aims to segregate his good side from his bad side. He begins on his endeavor to create a potion that creates an entirely new identity for the evil element of his nature named Mr. Hyde. Jekyll is pleased with himself and feels that he has been successful in his undertaking. He maintains this happiness until Hyde begins to commit unspeakable crimes without Jekyll’s rationality and sense of morality to temper him. Jekyll becomes miserable trying to contend with his evil counterpart and it is then that Stevenson’s message is evident. It is difficult to maintain true happiness without both sides of nature present within one’s conscience to balance each other out and to coexist.
William Shakespeare utilizes literary techniques such as symbolism, imagery, soliloquies, asides, and irony to explore the themes of Good vs. Evil and Suffering in his play Macbeth. He employs these literary techniques to convey meaning, greater the effect of language, bring the audience into the mind of a character, and evoke emotions in the audience such as surprise or humour.